Where She Belongs
by Gilaureloth
Summary: Sonny Munroe is so fed up with the abuse from her cast mates and Chad that she decides to leave and return to Wisconsin, but without her the ratings of So Random are so bad that the cast will do anything to get her back. Eventual implied Channy
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. Only the plot is mine.**

Tawni sat in the driver's seat pouting because Nico and Grady wouldn't let her drive her pink convertible. They said it was too showy and Sonny would know right away who was visiting, and most likely why they were there. No, they wanted to drive Nico's small sensible Saturn in a drab beige color. It was hot and stuffy in the Saturn and Grady had ordered baked beans for lunch. Even with the windows open, she couldn't get away from the stench. The faster this was over with the better.

"OK, so review. You two go in, ring the doorbell and talk to her. Try to find out why she left and convince her to come back," Tawni said with a flip of her hair and a put-upon sigh. Their cast-mate Sonny Munroe had been gone from the set of _So Random_ for nearly a week and none of them could figure out why.

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Nico said.

"I'm going to sit here in the car, make sure we don't get a ticket and look pretty."

"Aw, why can't I have that job?" Grady whined.

"Because you can't use the law of pretty to get us out of a ticket if some cute cop comes by. Now go on. It's not that hard to ring a doorbell." Tawni rolled her eyes as Nico and Grady both got out of the car. If they didn't blow it in the first ten minutes then she'd actually admit that Sonny wasn't half bad and that she was sorry Sonny had left. Nico and Grady tiptoed along, ducking behind bushes and trees. Tawni rolled her eyes again watching them pretend to be spy heroes, then lost interest and turned to admiring herself in the rearview mirror.

Nico and Grady, on the other hand, were very much enjoying the chance to be secret agents.

"Wait a minute," said Grady, "Why are we sneaking around? Sonny's going to know we're here anyways." Nico thought a minute and then shrugged.

"Cause it's fun?" he finally came up with.

"Fair enough," Grady shrugged.

A few minutes later they had entered the apartment building and stood in front of Sonny's door.

"Wait, what are we supposed to say?" Grady asked.

"I don't know, uh… You remember that sketch… no, that one didn't turn out so good. Uh… how about that one where we…Yeah we'd better make it up as we go along. Go on ring the bell."

"Why do I have to ring the bell?"

"Because it's your job."

"But-"

"Just ring the damn bell!" Grady, startled, punched the doorbell a little too hard.

"Now look what you made me do!" They stood in silence for a few seconds, fidgeting nervously.

"Nico?" Grady finally broke the silence.

"What now?" Nico sounded thoroughly exasperated.

"I'm not so good at the whole… improv thing."

"You're on a show that does improv sketches!" The door swung open behind them but they were too busy arguing to notice.

"Yeah, but the sketches are always written down and then I get to memorize it from a book first."

"Guys! GUYS!" Sonny yelled at them.

"Oh hi, Sonny. Can you hold on a sec?" Nico said. He turned to berate Grady further before realizing what he'd just said.

"Sonny!" he and Grady said in unison. Their voices were just a little too bright and loud.

"Not that I mind seeing you, but what are you doing here?" Sonny asked, ignoring the fact that the two boys standing in the hall looked like sheepish children caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"Uh… We uh… We were in the neighborhood and we thought we'd drop by." Nico stuttered. Sonny raised her eyebrows but let the obvious lie pass.

"Why don't you come in?" she said with a sigh. She stepped back, allowing them to go around her into the apartment she shared with her mom. Though they had never been in Sonny's apartment, they could tell that it was pretty empty. In fact, other than the furniture there were only a suitcase sitting by the door.

"Woah, woah, wait," exclaimed Nico, "You're moving?"

"Yeah. We leave tonight. Mom's just out getting something for dinner, then we'll be off to the airport." Sonny walked over to the couch and sat down. "I'd offer you something to drink, but we've cleaned out the fridge." She waited in silence for a few minutes to see if either of them would say something, but neither of them seemed to want to speak.

"So. You never answered my question," she finally said, "What are you doing here?"

"We want you to come back," Grady burst out suddenly

"Aw man! You ruined it!" Nico shouted at him.

"I told you I'm no good without a script!" Grady said, spreading his hands wide and trying to look like the picture of innocence.

"Guys!" Sonny broke in, "It doesn't matter. I'm not coming back."

"Aw come on Sonny," Grady pleaded, "We need you. We miss you."

"I'm sorry. But I just can't come back."

"Why not?" That was Nico again. He sounded more angry than concerned, but Sonny didn't care. She took a deep breath before saying, "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Oh, I get it," Nico said, drawing out the vowels in his best dramatic voice, "This wouldn't have anything to do with Chip DramaPants, now would it?"

"Pfft, no!" Sonny said, a little too quickly. Nico and Grady nodded at each other. They were getting closer.

"What did he say?" Nico asked.

"Nothing, I told you, this isn't about him," Sonny exclaimed, though she wouldn't quite meet their eyes as she said it.

"Don't lie to us, Sonny. You're an awful liar." Sonny rolled her eyes and sighed. Nico was relentless!

"Fine. But it's not all Chad's fault. It's just… ever since I joined the cast, all I've gotten was abuse, from Tawni, from Chad," she trailed off, realizing that she couldn't just implicate them, when they had never really done or said anything insulting, "And you guys and Zora, you just let it happen. Anyways, I'm sick of it. That's why I left and why I am _not_ coming back." Just as she finished this tirade they heard the sound of a key in the door.

"I'm home," Connie, Sonny's mom, yelled.

"Right here, Mom," Sonny said, holding back the tears that threatened to fill her eyes, "Just saying goodbye to a couple of cast-mates. They were just on their way out." She looked pointedly at Nico and Grady. They weren't too happy about it but they took the hint.

"Have a nice trip, Mrs. Munroe," Grady said on his way out, tipping an imaginary hat as he pulled the door closed behind him.

"What was that all about?" Connie asked.

"Oh nothing," Sonny said brightly, "Like I said, just saying goodbye. So what's for dinner?"

***

Chad Dylan Cooper was sitting in his makeup chair getting some finishing touches done before he had to go on when Tawni stormed up behind him.

"This is all your fault!" she practically screamed at him.

"Thank you," he said, standing up slowly so he wouldn't wrinkle up his specially pressed uniform, "Now, what exactly is my fault?"

"Sonny! She's leaving and it's ALL YOUR FAULT!" These last few words she accompanied by punches to the shoulder. Chad just blinked at her blankly.

"Sonny? You know, brunette, awful clothes, walks around with a big dumb smile on her face all the time?" Tawni elaborated.

"I know who you mean," Chad said making a face at her, "So… Sonny's leaving. How is this my fault?" Not that he wasn't glad she was leaving, he was. In fact, he was glad for more reasons than just the obvious.

"Oh, I think you know why, you snobbish jerkface. You're the one that seems to devote at least half his time to annoying and insulting her!" Tawni yelled. Chad rolled his eyes.

"And you don't? I've seen the way you treat her! Like that time you stole her fan mail and then tried to say her first fan wasn't real? It could have just as easily been you who drove her away," he returned.

"Wait, how do you know about that? You don't watch _So Random_. Or do you?" she asked.

"Yeah right like I'd watch _Chuckle City_. Uh," he paused trying to think up a plausible excuse for how he knew about Eric without telling Tawni that he'd _been_ Eric, "Sonny told me. Anyways, what do you want me to do about it?"

"Apologize! Tell her you're sorry for whatever it is you said, and get her to come back!"

"As if! Chad Dylan Cooper does _not_ apologize. Besides, why do you care? Without Sonny, the show's all yours."

"Maybe, but without Sonny the ratings have plunged so far that they're talking about pulling the plug." Tawni obviously didn't like the idea, but there was no way around it. Chad looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Yeah, don't care. Run along back to _Chuckle City_ now. Enjoy it while you can." With that he smiled his signature brilliant but fake smile and carefully sat back in the makeup chair. Carefully not watching Tawni in the mirror, he made sure she was out of earshot before he breathed a sigh of relief. Sonny was leaving! Not only would Mackenzie Falls almost automatically become the number one teen show in America, he wouldn't have to worry about starting to care for anything but himself. _Today is a good day, _he thought to himself.

**A/N: So, how was it? Obviously it's not done, but I'll be working on future chapters and I hope to update soon. Please review, but please be nice. I love constructive criticism but I would prefer no flames. As a side note, it's somewhat likely that if you review something of mine, I'll end up reviewing something of yours. I'm a very curious person, so I usually go check out what the people reviewing my stuff have been writing, and I try very hard to leave reviews for everything I read. **

**Anyways, thanks for reading, have a wonderful day, and don't forget to review on your way out =)**

**~Laure  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything but the plot.**

Sonny stared out the window at the huge white letters spelling out Hollywood on the hillside and sighed. This was very likely the last time she was going to see them. After the way she suddenly ditched _So Random_, no one was going to want her on their show. _But that's okay_, she reminded herself. She was doing this for a good reason. Besides, before they called her to be on _So Random_ she'd already started thinking about careers. Everyone told her she'd be a great Kindergarten teacher, and though she wasn't so sure of that herself, she could see the point. And even if she didn't know right away what she was going to do, she still had a few years. She'd figure out something.

Leaning back in her seat, she wrapped her arms around the pillow she'd brought for sleeping on the plane. She had made the right decision, she was sure of it. After almost five months on the show, she was still treated like the newcomer and therefore the outsider. As good as she was at "making-do" it had gotten to be too much. There were only so many insults a girl could take before she tried to do something about it. And she had tried to do something about it, in the only way she knew how. She tried harder. It didn't help much. The harder she tried to be friendly and include them, the more the excluded her. Finally, she decided she'd had enough. That's when she'd handed in her resignation to Marshall. He'd been, well, less than understanding, but Sonny stood firm. She could not take any more abuse and she was leaving.

The other part of her decision to leave was much harder for her to admit, even to herself. Contrary to what she'd told Nico, her decision was at least halfway due to her relationship with Chad. _Not relationship,_ she thought quickly, _that's definitely the wrong word for it. Acquaintance maybe?_ No matter what she called it, she couldn't stand being around him any more. She couldn't stand the way he couldn't go for two seconds without complimenting himself and in doing so, putting her down. She couldn't stand the way he never cared for anyone but himself, no matter what the problem was. At first, she'd though she could change him. Sometimes she even thought it was working. The thing was, in those little moments when she got through the outer shell of self-centeredness and saw the inner, sweet Chad, she could feel herself falling for him. That was the real reason she'd left. She couldn't stand the thought that she was falling for someone so awful, just based on the occasional passing moment. But that was all over now. And after their last encounter, she was entirely sure that he would never change. She'd go back to school with all her friends and they'd have some much better times than she ever had on the set of _So Random_. There would even be other boys, and though they wouldn't be nearly as nice to look at as Chad, they would certainly be less high-maintenance. And Chad would go on being Chad, the way only he could, abusing everyone within earshot, just because he could.

_Still,_ a small part of her whispered, _I'm going to miss it so bad._

***

The cast of _So Random_ was sitting around the famous prop room trying to come up with a new, and they were hoping funnier sketch. Marshall had already called one meeting to talk about the awful ratings they'd been getting since Sonny left. Either they had to come up with better sketches to bring up the ratings or they had to think up some way to bring Sonny back and Marshall made it sound like he didn't think that was possible.

"How about if we did some kind of broken fairy tale? Like, I dunno, Sleeping Beauty or something. We could have the Prince Charming be a bumbling idiot and the sidekick the smart one," Nico suggested.

"Ooh, I call Sleeping Beauty!" Tawni looked up from studying her perfect manicured nails.

"No, you blockheads! We already did that remember? Sonny was Cinderella, Nico was the bumbling Prince Charming, and Grady was that fat mouse from the Disney version," Zora rolled her eyes, "We've got to come up with something fresh, something new." She shook her fist at the ceiling. "Curse you, Sonny! What happened to the _So Random_ Code?"

"Oh, I remember that one. _I_ should have had the part of Cinderella," Tawni pouted. Zora rolled her eyes again.

"Do you want to help?" Zora growled at Tawni.

"Not really. See you later." Tawni swept out of the room, flipping her hair.

"Now what?" Nico asked, flopping onto the couch Tawni had just vacated.

"It's time for drastic measures!" Zora exclaimed.

"You're shaving your head?" Grady asked. Zora gave him the look she reserved only for when she felt the rest of the world was being particularly stupid.

"No! We're going to Mr. Condor!" The other two gasped.

"But-but-" Grady stuttered.

"But what if he fires us?" Nico finished.

"If we all go together, he can't fire us. We'll even bring Marshall," Zora seemed very excited at the prospect.

"Zora, going to Mr. Condor is beyond drastic, it's suicide, and I still don't see how it helps us," Nico was stood back up, ready to defend his position of necessary.

"You wouldn't. Look, we know from what Sonny told you two that the reason she left was something to do with Tawni and Chad, right?"

"Yeah, but I still don't see how that -" Nico interrupted.

"They probably wouldn't apologize on their own, bur if Mr. Condor ordered them to, they'd have no choice, right?"

"I get it," Nico nodded with a big smile on his face.

"Wait a minute," Grady said, a look of puzzlement still on his face, "How are we going to convince him to order them to do anything of the sort?"

"We just have to convince him that he needs _So Random_. With the way the ratings were looking before she left, it shouldn't be too hard." Zora had an answer for everything. Unfortunately the boys still looked a little apprehensive.

"Look, I'll just do everything. You guys just have to show up and tell him what Sonny said," Zora said.

"Well, when you put it like that…" they agreed that Zora would set up a meeting with Mr. Condor the next day.

**A/N: Wow. So they've been bugging me and I updated way faster than I planned. Unfortunately, Sonny's not being entirely forthcoming with me, and she won't tell me what happened in her last encounter with Chad. Obviously it was bad, or she wouldn't have decided to leave, but she just doesn't want to talk about it. =P (yes, I treat the characters like real people). Anyways, if you have any suggestions for what happened, I would love to hear them.**

**Have a nice day and please review on your way out!**

**~Laure  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: You know how it goes. The whole schpeal about how I don't anything but wish I did.**

Things weren't going so well for Sonny. She'd been back for a total of three days and already her life in Wisconsin was miserable. She'd reenrolled in the high school where she had spent her first year. She'd only missed a year in total, though it seemed much longer than that. Before she left she'd been almost permanently unpopular. She just didn't have what it took to be preppy and, well, the same kind of person Tawni was. She sighed. It seemed like there was nothing she could do to get away from her time in Hollywood. Even her own thoughts betrayed her. School was no help either. It seemed like in the space of the past two days every single girl in the school had come up to her and asked "what is Chad Dylan Cooper like?" and "is Chad Dylan Cooper as _gorgeous_ in person?" and on and on giggling girlishly through every sentence. Most were severely disappointed when she refused to comment. Finally she couldn't stand it anymore.

"You know what?" she finally screamed after being mobbed by seemingly every Chad Dylan Cooper fan in the room, "I've got news for you guys. Chad Dylan Cooper is not the amazing, sweet, every-girl's-dream you guys think he is! He is nothing, I repeat _nothing_ like Mackenzie. He's a selfish, stuck up jerk that only ever thinks of himself. If you ever had a chance to get to know him, you'd hate him, the same way I do." Needless to say her tirade didn't make her any friends. Instead, it bought her a one-way ticket straight to the bottom of the totem pole and short of bringing Chad in for an appearance at the school there was nothing she could do to redeem herself.

Sonny sighed again. Like she really needed reminders of Chad. That stuck-up, three-named idiot was a just a self-centered jerk who didn't know when enough was enough. He couldn't tell whether someone was playing along or whether they were actually offended, and without that gauge he had no way of knowing when someone was actually hurt. She laughed humorlessly at that thought. Likely he didn't know what hurt was. He certainly pretended he'd never known hurt. She angrily scrubbed at the tears that were running down her cheeks. It was all in the past, and it was going to stay there. It didn't matter what Chad had said or what anyone else thought. She didn't need them anyways.

There was a knock on her bedroom door. Sonny wiped her face dry and sat up.

"Come in," she called, careful to keep her voice neutral. Her mom entered, shutting the door behind her.

"Hey, Mom," Sonny said, pulling a pillow into her lap.

"Is everything ok, honey?" her mom asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sonny replied, "Just… missing Hollywood, I guess."

"Oh sweetie, you know you left for good reasons."

"I know, Mom. It's just, I wish I hadn't had to leave in the first place."

"I know. And it's going to be hard the first couple of months, getting used to it. But you will. I have faith in you."

"Thanks, Mom," Sonny smiled weakly as her mom left the room. The moment the door closed, she tipped over on her bed and curled up in a ball. _This is going to be a lot harder than I thought._

Suddenly the room filled with a loud mooing. Sonny jumped and sat up, then pulled her phone out of her pocket. _Zora? Why is Zora calling me? She never called me, even when I was in Hollywood, _she thought.

"Hello?" she answered the phone tentatively.

"Hey Sonny. How is everything?" Zora's voice was even more annoying over the phone, if that was possible.

"Fine. Uh, not to sound rude, but what do you want?"

"I'll cut to the chase. We need you to come back to _So Random._"

"Zora, I can't do that. I'm sorry."

"Not even if I tell you that Condor's threatening to cut the show unless you come back?"

"That's awful! Why would he do that?"

"Well, he hasn't yet, but the way the ratings are looking he might."

"Zora! I'm not coming back just because Mr. Condor _might_ cut the show."

"O-kay, would you come back if we got Chad to apologize?" Zora had that sneaky little sound in her voice, like she always did when she had a plan. Sonny had to think a moment before coming up with something to say.

"Firstly: how did you think you were going to get him to do that? And secondly: What makes you think that this has anything to do with Chad?"

"Cause you told Nico and Grady that it did." Sonny began hitting her head against the wall. Why had she been so stupid?

"Well-"

"Look, Sonny, I just need to know. If we can get Chad to apologize, would you come back?"

"Zora…" Sonny paused, really thinking about her answer, "I can't promise I'll come back. But I'll think about it." That was safe enough, considering they'd never get Chad to apologize.

"Alright! Thanks Sonny," Zora hung up so fast that Sonny barely had a chance to say "Welcome."

**A/N: I know this is really short and seems kind of random, but the next bit is going to be pretty long and the story broke well here. So, I'm really sorry. I'm hoping to have the next bit up in the next couple of days though, so don't be too sad.**

**Please, please, please review! As much as I enjoy seeing that you've added my story to your alerts or favorited my story or whatever, that doesn't tell me a whole lot, other than you think it's halfway decent enough to come back to. Please leave a review no matter how short it is. I promise you'll make my day! =)**

**Alright, that's enough rambling for now. Have a nice day! =)**

**~Laure**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I only own the plot**.

The cast of _So Random_ was very surprised when Mr. Condor agreed to meet them almost right away. Usually he didn't accept appointments. He made the appointments, and then usually only when you were about to get fired. So it was with definite apprehension that they approached Mr. Condor's door.

"You know what, kids? I really don't think involving Mr. Condor was the right idea," their director, Marshall, said.

"You know he's the only one that could get Chad to apologize," Zora said, exasperated. They'd had this conversation at least six times in the last half-hour.

"Yeah, ok," Marshall said, turning around, "You kids let me know how it went ok?" Nico and Grady were ready for this though, and they stood behind him with their arms firmly crossed.

"You said you'd come and back us up," Nico said, "And we're going to make sure you do just that." Marshall turned back around looking especially dejected.

"Can we just get this over with?" Tawni asked. "I'd like to know if I still have a job. Not that it would be hard to find another, with how pretty I look, but still." Everyone else rolled their eyes.

Nico, Grady and Zora herded Marshall into Mr. Condor's office and then closed the door firmly behind them. Mr. Condor was sitting behind a large desk talking into an earpiece.

"No, I don't care what they want! If they won't do it my way, then they won't have my funding. It's as simple as that," he shouted into the phone as they walked in. He waved them into the room.

"Listen, my next appointment's here. Just take care of it, ok?" he said, hanging up the phone. He then turned to face them from behind the desk. "I think we both know why you're here."

It was a terrifying thing, being under the full attention of Mr. Condor. One wrong move and he could cut the show, not just threaten.

"Really?" Zora said, showing her usual disdain for fear, "So you've noticed our ratings are… shall we say, less than optimal?"

"Zora!" the others exclaimed.

"No, no, it's ok," Mr. Condor said, "It's nice to talk to someone who isn't scared out of their wits once in a while." He looked pointedly at Marshall, who squirmed like he wished he could hide.

"To answer your question, Miss Lancaster, yes, I have noticed that your ratings are less than optimal, though usually I am the one to call this meeting. What do you have to say about this?"

"We believe that the drop in ratings is entirely due to the absence of our cast member Sonny Munroe," Zora whipped out a sheaf of papers from the briefcase she had been carrying and set them on Mr. Condor's desk. "You will notice a trend of rising ratings starting in September, the same month that Sonny joined us. The ratings continue to rise, even, dare I say it, surpassing Mackenzie Falls midway through last month. Then, approximately a month ago, Sonny left the cast without a word to any of us," Marshall looked like he wanted to say something at this point but Zora kept going. "In the four weeks since she left the show our ratings have gone from topping Mackenzie Falls to being your lowest rated show – lower even than Hoosier Girl," Zora paused for a moment to see how Mr. Condor was reacting. He looked thoughtful. This might actually work. Tawni, on the other hand, looked absolutely mutinous. She was furious that the ratings were so dependent on Sonny – why couldn't their viewers appreciate _her_ instead. Still, the evidence was right there, and if she wanted to keep her show, she'd have to keep her mouth shut.

"Go on," Mr. Condor told Zora.

"Right. So in the month since Sonny left, we have had contact with her twice. From this contact we have been led to believe that her departure was due to an incident involving Chad Dylan Cooper, and possibly Tawni, here," Zora said. Tawni's jaw dropped open and her look of anger turned to one of contempt.

"Me?! I didn't do-"

"Sit down, Miss Hart," Mr. Condor thundered. Tawni quickly sat and looked down at the floor. "Continue, Zora"

"It is my firm belief that if we were able to get Chad, and possibly Tawni to apologize-"

"What?" Tawni yelled, standing again, "I'm not apologizing to her! I didn't _do _anything."

"You see the problem," Zora said.

"Yes, quite. Miss Hart, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Mr. Condor told her, "You are disrupting an important meeting. Go on, _go!_" Tawni looked upset, but didn't dare contradict Mr. Condor.

"Now," he said, turning back to Zora, "I see your point, but what do you think I can do about it?"

"Well, sir," Zora said, "I don't think any of us could get Chad to apologize. However, if you were to _order_ him to, he'd have to do it."

"I see. And, out of curiosity, why would I order him to do that?" Mr. Condor asked.

"Well," Zora was momentarily at a loss for words. Hadn't she just explained that with Sonny they were better than even Mackenzie Falls? "Uh, like I just showed you, sir. With Sonny we're more valuable than Mackenzie Falls. Without her…" she trailed off, letting him come up with his own alternative. She didn't want to give him the one she was thinking – that he might as well cut the show entirely. Mr. Condor leaned back in his chair and picked up the ratings graph that Zora had brought. There were a few tense moments before he leaned over to the intercom sitting on his desk.

"Miss Landingham?" he asked.

"Yes, Mr. Condor?" his secretary replied.

"Get me Chad Dylan Cooper," he ordered.

"On the phone, sir?" she asked.

"Better make it in person, and ASAP."

"Right away, sir." He turned back to Zora and the others.

"Alright, you've convinced me," he said. Nico and Grady let out simultaneous cries of triumph, while Marshall sagged in his chair like he'd been holding his breath.

"But," he held up a hand and the room was immediately on edge again, "This had better work. For your sakes. I will not look like a fool."

***

Chad was in the middle of a massage when his phone rang. He jumped a little, hoping for a brief second that it was Sonny. It'd been far too long since he'd talked to her and he was starting to admit to himself that he missed her (though he'd never admit it to anyone else). And really, he only missed her because she was the only one who could actually take his taunting. Yeah. Yeah, that sounded good, that was the real reason. Not because she was cute or funny or just nice to be around. No, because she took his taunting. Yeah. Yeah right.

A second ring startled him out of his thoughts and he sat up reaching for his phone. He didn't recognize the number and was a little disappointed (not really, that pain in his stomach must have been some badly cooked chicken from lunch – he'd have to have a word with the cooks). He flipped the phone open and brought it to his ear.

"CDC, what's up?" he said.

"Mr. Cooper, this is Miss Landingham, Mr. Condor's secretary," a female voice on the other end said, "Mr. Condor would like to see you in his office."

"Uh, yes ma'am," Chad stammered. He'd almost dropped the phone when he heard Mr. Condor's name. Mr. Condor couldn't want to fire him, could he? He'd done enough kiss-ass to last him for the next twenty years right? "When?" he asked.

"Approximately five minutes ago. I'd hurry if I were you," she answered sweetly, probably knowing the exact effect those words would have on him. Chad started to run, pulling on his suit coat and straightening his tie as he went.

"Yes ma'am, I'll be there right away."

***

"Well," Marshall said, speaking for the first time in the whole interview, "Fun as this has been maybe we should go. Don't want to disturb your meeting with the studio star." He stood as he said this and made a break for the door.

"Sit down, Marshall. I think it best if you and your cast stay for this meeting, just to show that it is a legitimate request." Marshall sat, looking more and more like someone headed for the executioner's block.

A few moments later Chad burst in.

"Mr. Condor, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize we had a meeting or I would have been here ten minutes ago!" he said, sounding a little out of breath.

"It's a good thing we didn't have a meeting, then. I'd ask you to sit, but it seems the chairs are full." Mr. Condor said with his usual coldness. Chad looked around, realizing for the first time that he wasn't the only one in the room.

"Is this a bad time?" Chad asked, "Cause, you know, I can always come back later."

"Why would I have paged you at a time that is bad for me?"

"Good point, as always, sir. So what can do for you?" Chad tried a little brown-nosing. After all, it couldn't hurt.

"Actually, today it's what you can do for them," Mr. Condor replied, nodding towards Nico, Grady and Zora, "It has come to my attention that one Sonny Munroe has left the cast of _So Random_. The blame has fallen squarely at your feet, though we're still not quite sure what happened. So, I want you to go and apologize to the girl, then get her to come back. The show has taken a drastic hit without her."

Chad looked a little like a fish, the way his mouth opened and closed throughout Mr. Condor's speech. Finally he said, "You want me to do, what?"

"Apologize. In person, preferably. Here is her current address." Chad took the slip of paper and read it quickly, his eyebrows jumping nearly to his hairline.

"You want me to go all the way to Wisconsin just to apologize?"

"Will that be a problem?" Mr. Condor asked in his most dangerous voice.

"No, no problem at all," Chad said remembering who he was talking to.

"Good. I suggest you do all in your power to bring her back. If she doesn't come back… well, maybe you shouldn't come back either. Dismissed." Chad left the room in a bit of a daze. He couldn't believe Mr. Condor had just threatened to fire him. Still what Mr. Condor said went, and less than 24 hours later, Chad was on a plane to Wisconsin.

**A/N: Wow, two updates in one day. Trust me, it will probably never happen again. I think it's just because originally this was going to be one long chapter with the one before it, and then it just worked better to divide it up. Anywhoo, please review. Was Mr. Condor ok? I'm not all that happy with him, but I was having so much fun with Zora that I had a hard time cutting him out. And for those of you Channy fans out there, don't worry, Chad's just in denial.**

**Ok, I think that's it for a bit. Have a nice day, and please review on your way out.**

**Oh, and 10 brownie points to anyone who spots the outside reference =P  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: The usual non-ownage applies.**

**Warning: Italics and First person are flashbacks.**

"That is _it_, young lady," Sonny's mother shouted from the lower level of the house. Sonny was sitting in her bedroom again, not really doing anything. "You've spent the last month sitting around and moping! The only time you've come out of that bedroom is for school and for meals and I'm sick of it," she continued as she climbed the stairs, "If you're not out of that bedroom in the next thirty seconds-" The door to Sonny's room opened. Sonny wasn't looking so good. Her face was slightly puffy and red and she was wearing baggy sweatpants with a hoodie that looked two sizes too big. Her hair was limp and dull and her usual smile was nowhere to be found.

"Sonny, you've got to do something to take your mind off it. You can't just sit up here and cry forever," as usual her mother knew everything. "Now why don't you go take a shower, get dressed and when you come down I'll give you something to do."

"K mom," Sonny said. It was a Saturday and since she'd been back, all she'd done with her Saturdays was sit in her room with the lights off thinking about the people back in Hollywood. Her mom was right. She needed something to do to distract her.

Half an hour later, Sonny came down the stairs, clean, dressed and looking a little better. Her mother was waiting for her, a scrub brush in hand.

"Don't you feel better?" she asked.

"A little," Sonny replied.

"Good. Now, I came up with something for you to do. It's pretty warm out today and the porch hasn't been cleaned in almost a year. I don't have time to do it and Dad doesn't have time to do it, so we were hoping you would."

Sonny winced inwardly. Scrubbing the porch was not the easiest job. Even with the long handled scrub brush it was tiring and you were sore for days afterwards. Still, it was something to do.

"Ok," she said, taking the brush from her mom. Slipping on her flip-flops she walked out to the porch. Unlocking the door from the porch to the outside she stepped out and grabbed the garden hose.

It wasn't the messiest job she could have been given. In fact it wasn't all that bad. The worst bit, at least this time, was that it gave her lots of time to think. Usually she enjoyed the job, but right now time to think was not what she needed. Time to think meant allowed her mind to wander. Anymore a trip down memory lane meant a trip to Hollywood. From there it was an easy trip to Studio 3 and from there to Studio 2 and one blonde-haired, blue-eyed diva in male form. And of course thoughts of Chad brought back that one last encounter – the one that drover her over the edge and made her decide to leave.

_The day hadn't been the best. Rehearsal hadn't gone well and the worst was it should have. They had just started my most recent sketch, a modernized spoof on Pride and Prejudice. It was set in Hollywood and Mr. Darcy's character was a stuck up actor who wouldn't even look at Lizzie, an up and coming star. I had taken it to Marshall and he laughed the whole way through. Nico and Grady both thought it was wonderful and Zora didn't seem to care. Tawni, on the other hand had quite a bit to say about it. I thought that Tawni would be happy about the sketch – she got the role of Jane, the beauty of the family. And at first she was. For about ten minutes. Until she decided that the skit wasn't about Mr. Darcy and Lizzie Bennett. No, Tawni was positive that it was really about - and this was the part I didn't get - Tawni thought the skit was about Chad – Chad and me! It wasn't true, there was no way it could be true. I wrote the sketch, I should know. By the time we got back to our dressing room Tawni was threatening to back out of the sketch unless I admitted that it was about Chad and furthermore that I'd been harboring secret feelings for him. The claim was ridiculous and infuriating, and there was no way that I would even consider telling Tawni such falsehoods. Then, to make matters worse, who should walk in during our shouting match but Chad himself. He apparently heard us fighting all the way over on Studio 2 and when he heard his name, he decided to come see what the matter was. I was sure he'd take my side on this one – he couldn't afford to be seen as fraternizing with the enemy. Instead, he chose Tawni's side. It was humiliating. I'm used to his regular taunting, but this- this was awful. In the end, he tried to force me to kiss him, I kneed him where it hurts most and ran out of the room. Since that day I haven't been back to the set. I sent my mom to get my stuff and turn my resignation in to Marshall._

"So, this is what you came back for? To pretend to be Cinderella?" It was Chad's voice.

"And now I've progressed to hallucinations?" Sonny asked the world in general, "What is it with me?"

"Not that I blame you, but what makes you think this is a hallucination? Other than my angelic looks, of course," Chad's voice said.

"Because," Sonny answered it, "Chad would never come to Wisconsin, and if he did he'd never apologize because he's too much of a stuck-up, self-centered jerk to-"

"Is he, Sonny? Is he really?" The voice interrupted her. Fed up, she turned around, just to prove to herself that Chad wasn't really there.

And stood, stunned, watching the real, live Chad Dylan Cooper get soaked by the running hose she'd already forgotten she was holding.

**A/N: So, I have good news and bad news. The good news is: I think this'll be done in one more chapter (albeit a long one). The bad news is: It's gonna have to wait. I'm going to a conference this weekend and I'm not going to have any time to write, so it'll probably be about a week before the final update. I'm really sorry, but at least I got this much up before I left =)**

**On to a happier note - please review, no matter how short, so I know what you're thinking. If it helps I'll give you a question to answer: Do you think I should write more SWAC fics? I have ideas, but I wanted to test the waters with this one first.**

**And finally, a shoutout to all of you who gave me suggestions for the reason Sonny left, and a special shoutout to KSpazzed who's idea was closest to the final product. Also, thanks to everyone who's been reading - you've made this my most popular fic yet =)  
**

**OK, that's all. Hang in there, have a nice day, and please, please, please review.**

**~Laure =)  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Still only own the plot. If I owned more, I'd have already seen the next episode. Grrrr.**

"Chad!" Sonny exclaimed, "What are you-"

"Sonny!" Chad yelled back, "What do you think you're doing?" Sonny suddenly realized Chad was practically soaked from the waist down. She jumped and twisted the nozzle to off.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she said, dropping the hose and running over to him. She brushed uselessly at the water on the front of his shirt before he waved her off.

"Come inside," she said, "I might be able to find some old things of my dad's that you can wear."

"I'm not wearing-" Chad started to protest.

"Do you have a choice?" Sonny asked. That shut him up.

A little while later, Chad came out of the bathroom wearing a pair of rolled up jeans and an oversized plaid flannel shirt.

"You couldn't find anything nicer?" he asked derisively. Sonny was sitting on the couch with a nearly perfect view, and she actually thought he looked nice "dressed-down" so to speak. Not that she was going to tell him that.

"You'll live. Besides, this way you might have a chance of fitting in around here without getting mobbed."

"But I _like_ getting mobbed," he complained.

"Yeah right, like anyone enjoys being mobbed," Sonny retorted. The awkward silence stretched on for what seemed like forever.

"So…" Sonny said.

"So," Chad replied, "As I said earlier, did you really come back to be Cinderella? Cause last time I checked all the good Prince Charmings are in LA anymore. I mean," he said gesturing to himself, "case in point. Minus the clothes, of course."

"And case in point why I left," Sonny muttered under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing. Look, I was helping out around the house. Normal people do. And that's what I am now – a normal person."

"Are you Sonny? Are you really?"

"Yes, Chad! I am, really. I never wanted to be like you _or_ find a Prince Charming," She bit her tongue before adding "like you" to the end of that sentence.

"Really? I'm surprised. Every girl wants a Prince Charming."

"Not every girl."

"You sure? Not even a little bit?" Chad wheedled. Sonny bit her lip.

"Well, ok maybe a little bit, when I was little, I mean, what girl doesn't like dressing up like a princess and pretending that someday-" she trailed off noticing Chad's lopsided smile. The one that looked genuine and made her insides tingle. "What?" she asked.

"See, I knew it," he said, quickly recovering from the moment of openness.

"Did you really miss fighting with me that much? It seems so unlike you to take the time to fly here just to make my day worse."

"Oh, but that's what I live for – ruining your day." Chad smirked.

"Be serious, Chad. What are you doing here?" Sonny glared at him. Chad sighed and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He seemed to transform under her gaze from the cocky, arrogant star to a normal adolescent boy. Looking at the floor, he mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that?" Sonny asked.

"I miss you," Chad said more forcefully.

"You missed me? That's so sweet." Sonny smiled.

"I know." Chad smiled back. Sonny's bit her lips attempting take back the smile but failing. There was a comfortable silence. Chad sat down next to Sonny on the couch, a little closer than she was entirely comfortable with.

"Come back with me, Sonny," Chad begged, reaching toward her. Sonny jumped away and stood up, suddenly suspicious.

"They sent you, didn't they?" she accused.

"Who?"

"Don't play all innocent on me. The _So Random_-ers. They made you come to convince me to come back. What happened, did you lose a bet?"

"What? No! I told you I missed you. Don't you trust me?"

"You know Chad, I don't think I do. Not anymore." She turned her back, ready to walk out. Chad jumped up to stop her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Why not?" he asked. Sonny half turned back, but shrugged his hand off.

"Maybe you'd better go."

"Well, I would, but I can't be seen like this," he said, hoping to make her laugh. Instead she just glared at him. "Come on Sonny," he begged, "Just tell me what I did."

"If I just tell you, then you won't learn anything and you'll just do it again later."

"What are you, my mother?" Sonny rolled her eyes at that.

"No. But any _normal_ guy would know better, and know exactly why they needed to apologize," Sonny said, turning away.

"I need to apologize?" Chad said with a huge grin. Sonny's mouth dropped open.

"You know what, that's it. I'm not dealing with this anymore," she said, walking to the door.

"Sonny," Chad called after her, running to catch her arm, "Sonny, I was kidding."

"How _dare_ you?" Sonny screamed suddenly, "How _dare_ you touch me after what you did?" Her eyes welled up with tears, which then spilled over, leaving glistening tracks down her cheeks. "I trusted you, I – I was even beginning to like you, at least the you that was nice. And then you had to go and-" Chad pulled her in to a hug, setting his chin on her head. She squirmed, trying to escape.

"I hate you," she yelled, pounding her fists on his chest, "I hate you!" Chad just held her, stroking her hair and murmuring, "It's ok, I know," and other such nonsense. Finally she calmed down and stopped struggling.

"Better?" he asked. Sonny sighed.

"Yeah. I, uh, I'm getting your shirt wet."

"You're good at that," he said, smiling down at her. "Besides. It's not mine" They laugh together and lapse into a warm shared silence.

"Sonny?" Chad said.

"Mmm?"

"I really am sorry." Sonny looked up at him and suddenly realized where she was. She stepped back quickly and cleared her throat.

"I, uh, I'll just go check on the dryer," she said. She turned to go.

"Sonny?" Chad asked. She turned back to face him.

"Seriously. Will you come back with me?" Sonny thought a moment.

"Ok," she said. "I'll come back."

***

"You know, Chad, coming to apologize was really sweet of you. I think maybe you're finally turning into a decent person," Sonny said. She was sitting with Chad in the plane on the way back to LA. It hadn't taken long to convince her mother that she wanted to go back – not after the way she'd been since she'd left.

"Nah," Chad said, "not really."

"Yes, really. When I first met you, you wouldn't have done that for anyone," Sonny objected.

"Uh, yeah. About that. It wasn't exactly my idea, you know. Mr. Condor practically ordered me to make sure you came back," he confessed.

"What?" Sonny said loudly. Several other passengers turned and shushed her.

"Sorry," she whispered, "You mean all of that – all the sweet things you said – that was all fake?" she asked turning back to Chad.

"Not fake. I was just doing what I do best – acting," Chad said with a smirk.

"I can't believe you. And here I'd thought you'd changed. You know what, fine, I can't get off the plane, but from now on I am not speaking to you!"

"Good!"

"Good!"

"Good!"

"Good!" Sonny said. For once, Chad let her have the last word. She turned in her seat and watched out the window, her jaw set. She would not give in.

Half an hour later, Chad felt something brush his shoulder. It was Sonny's head, lolling in her sleep, almost leaning on him. Looking down on her, he smiled. She looked so innocent when she slept, innocent and cute. Sure the whole "not talking to you" thing was a setback, but at least he had gotten her to come back. Maybe this time around he'd figure out how to get her to fall at his feet, like all the other girls.

**A/N: And that's it! A few orders of business to take care of. First: Thank you guys soooo much for sticking with me through this and making this my most popular story by far. Also a very special thank you to everyone who reviewed: Brucas224, TrinityFlower of Memories, KSpazzed, October, BrittBrat500, MusicFreak-Twilight, sonnycentral, nameuscool, Faded Feathers and barkaduter6teen. You guys rock!**

**Second: while I hate to plug myself, if anyone felt like nominating for the SWAC awards, I'll back you up =P I'm especially proud of this one =)**

**Third: I asked at the end of the last chapter whether I should continue with SWAC fics, and the consensus so far has been yes. Thing is, I can't choose which to start with. So, I'm going to let you guys vote. Here are the three choices:**

_**A Punch in the Face**_**: Chad can't believe Sonny thinks he wouldn't know a real romance if it "punched him in the face" and he's determined to prove it to her. Probably Multi-chapter, the episode I think should have come after episode 11: Promises, Prom-misses.**

_**Suffering in Silence**_**: Companion one-shot to this fic in Chad's POV, explaining and expanding on the last sentence in this one. Probable possibilities for extension into a sequel to this fic.**

**(**_**as yet untitled**_**): My version of Episode 2: West Coast Story. Instead of challenging Mackenzie Falls to Musical Chairs, Sonny challenges Chad to switch shows with her for a week, to prove once and for all who is a better actor. (I'm kinda looking for a collaborator on this one because it's probably going to involve **_**So Random**_** sketches and so far I only have one idea, so if you're interested in collab-ing on this, PM me)**

**Please leave a review voting on which you'd like to read next (I will eventually do all of them, this is just for which order to start in). **

**And fourth: while you're reviewing to vote on which story is next, please review this chapter and the story as a whole. Your comments are very valuable to me, plus they usually make my day 100 times better =)**

**Wow, that was a long author's note. At least I saved it to the end, yes? Have a nice day, and please review on your way out.**

**~Laure**


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